Judge halts 9 school closures in Puerto Rico, others pending

Source: Associated Press

Danica Coto, Associated Press
Updated 8:28 am, Tuesday, June 12, 2018

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Plans to shutter 265 public schools across Puerto Rico have been temporarily derailed with a judge's order to stop the closure of at least nine institutions and his recommendation that other judges do the same in lawsuits still pending on other school closures.

The decision was celebrated on Tuesday by the Puerto Rico Teachers Association, which has sued over the closures with support from parents who say they worry about a lack of transportation to new schools and the disappearance of programs for special-needs students.

"Justice was served," Aida Diaz, the association's president, told The Associated Press. "This ruling demonstrates that ... nobody has absolute authority to make arbitrary decisions over the rights of our people."

She said three other lawsuits that involve some 60 public schools across the U.S. territory are pending.